Robopon: Sun Version

Share.

Atlus is working on a Pok¿mon-style RPG with unique cartridge features.

By IGN Staff

Look, business is business. No matter how you look at the license, one thing is clear ¿ Pokémon sells. The game sold in Japan even before there was a whole marketing blitz, so it's certainly possible to work that magic a second time. Enter Robopon, an RPG being localized for US audiences by Atlus (the same company responsible for releasing Revelations last year.

Features:

More than 150 Robopon creatures

Link cable support for two players

Built-in IR link, clock, and speaker

For Game Boy and Game Boy Color

On the island of Porombo, Robopon and humans live together in harmony. People of all ages were caught in the excitement of creating their own Robopon and entering them in the BattleRobo Tournament. Cody, the game's lead character, inherits an almost bankrupt Robopon Dispatching Company, as well as its useless Robopon when his Grandpa Hogle passes on. In order to rebuild this company, Cody set out on a journey with his Robopon to win the big BattleRobo Tournament. We're not going to ignore the fact that this game sounds more than a little similar to Nintendo's RPG series ¿ the only thing missing is a "¿ " to create Rob¿pon. But every series has to start somewhere ¿ there are half a billion Jerry Springer/Ricky Lake copycats out there, and they survive in the mix, so why not a Pokémon clone?

The game features the familiar "gotta catch 'em all" theme of Pokémon, but instead of cute little battling animals to collect, you're working on capturing cute little battling robots. There are more than 150 of these machines to collect and battle (sense another parallel?) and you can upgrade your caught Robopon critters with parts that'll make them even more powerful. And, of course, through the use of the link cable, you'll be able to go up against a friend's Robopon on another system.

The most unique part about Robopon isn't the game ¿ it's the cartridge.

The Robopon cartridge has built into it an infra-red port, called the GB Kiss. This port will allow you to use any infra-red device to unlock items in the game. Different signals have different effects in the game, and it's up to you to run through your house trying all the infra-red TV remotes to find the one signal that'll give your Robopon creatures the advantage you'll need. Why does the game have an infra-red port on the cartridge, and not use the Game Boy Color's IR port? Because it's compatible with all Game Boys, and the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and soon the Game Boy Advance do not have an IR-port. You'll also be able to trade Robopon through the GB Kiss.

Also inside the cartridge is a battery-backed clock that'll keep time while you're playing ¿ like Pokémon Gold and Silver, Robopon will have scheduled events that'll only happen when your system is on during that time. This element adds a lot to the gameplay and makes you stay on your toes when your system isn't on. The cartridge also has a built-in speaker, which will beep when a scheduled event is happening during your system's power-off time..

Atlus is currently working on localizing this game for the US ¿ the game was previously released in Japan. The company hopes to have the game on shelves by the end of this year ¿ let's hope the company isn't muscled out of 2000 and into 2001 by Nintendo's strict Game Boy manufacturing schedule.